Dating Service OKCupid Used In Arrest

Any Tumblr will tell you that one is bound to come across some real gems when browsing online dating sites. In the age of technology, there’s now a ton of dating sites out there, and that means there’s a full pool of weirdos to meet. However, there’s only one dating site that was able to help in an arrest.

Dating site OKCupid assisted in an arrest when one Richard, Virginia police officer used the site to locate a man who failed to appear in court. 24-year-old Ryan Covington had registered for a dating profile on the site, and instead of scoring a date with his dream profile, Covington got more than what he expected when he was subsequently arrested.

According the an NBC affiliate in Richmond, Virginia:

“He wasn’t wanted for a very violent crime but to the people in the neighborhood where he lives, you know, they want him off the street.”

So how was Covington caught? Well, Lieutenant Daniel Minton decided to not only browse OKCupid but he created a fake profile to catch Covington. Going by the name “Sasha,” Minton got Covington’s attention, and then asked Covington to meet up. Instead of Sasha, Covington got a lot more than he was bargaining for when Minton showed up for his arrest.

Of course this isn’t the first time someone was fooled by a dating profile. After all, MTV had made a show called Catfish that helps people uncover the true identities of their online loves.

After Covington made headlines, he spoke out on his Facebook page to address the allegations made against him:

“This is me on your news with false information, I missed one court date for a charge this nov. Not last sept two different charges [all sic].”

According to reports that uncovered Virginia’s court records, Covington was supposed to make a court appearance in November for a destruction of property charge, but missed his court date.